The Dungeon Bat
by ToriLynnSlytherin
Summary: Severus Snape's life has been bad ever since he was born, but what happens when he meets someone who changes his life forever? And what does the future hold for him?
1. The Beginning

**The Beginning: Severus Snape's background about his family. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. These are solely the characters created by J.K. Rowling! **

**Dialogue ended in "*"- quotes taken directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by: J.K. Rowling**

Severus Tobias Snape was a lanky little boy, curtained by shoulder-length, greasy, black hair. He wore clothes that were much too big for him, and was rarely seen inside his house. He didn't have any friends, as none of the other children in his neighborhood wanted him as one. He kept to himself, in his tiny room, in his tiny house, in Spinner's End.

When he was born, his mother Eileen knew he was special, just like her. His father had waited for hours in the odd, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, dreading the worst. He had hoped that his son would carry on his family name with untainted blood, but his prayers weren't answered. He was angry at the day-old child and angry at himself. He had fallen in love with a witch, he himself being a muggle, also known as a non-magical person. He didn't believe her when she first told him of her secret, but after seeing some proof, eventually learned to accept it. As the years went by, Tobias found it harder and harder to go on day-by-day, knowing that his life had been forever changed by one small decision. He had married that girl and his life was taken over by all sorts of magic that he only thought existed in fairytales. It was all getting to be too much for him to handle, and when he found out that his son was special, just like his wife, the turned to the only thing he could think of…whiskey.

Severus often spent his days outside in the fresh air and sunlight, although he remained as pale as a ghost. Anywhere was better than sitting in his dank, dark room, alone on his cot, listening to his mother and alcoholic father fighting once again. He was always scrounging for food at the local diners, as his mother often forgot to feed him daily. He was a skinny, weak boy that his father looked upon in disgust.

"You're a disgrace to the Snape family name!" he would often say. "Us men are kept strong, and fit. And you? I see nothing but a lanky, hideous, large-nosed boy. You're just like you're mother. You're both good for nothing, poor freaks."

"We're not freaks!" he would yell back. But this only upset his father more. He would grab whatever was handy, whether it be his belt or a small pocket-knife and abuse his son, over and over, time and time again. This was his cause for staying to himself. He never trusted anyone and was never a happy child. Until he met _her_. She was the one who would alter his life forever, and she was the one who made him the man he would become. Her name was Lily Evans.

**A/N: Sorry, I know the chapter is extremely short but there's more to come. R&R! Constructive criticism is welcome!**

**P.S.- 'Septimius Pueritia' means _"Childhood of Snape"_ in Latin. =)**


	2. A Glimpse of Fire

**A Glimpse of Fire: Severus Snape meets Lily Evans**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. These are solely the characters created by J.K. Rowling.**

**Dialogue ended in "*"- quotes taken directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by: J.K. Rowling**

It was a warm sunny day, and as usual, Severus went out for a long stroll in the forest. For the past few days, his feet had been leading him to an often deserted playground, except for two girls. The elder of the two had always seemed to be giving her younger, red-haired sister warnings about things she should not be doing. On this particular day, they were seen playing on the swings, as Severus crouched behind and over-sized bush and watched the red-haired girl in amazement as she suddenly leapt from the swing at its highest peak, and landed softly on the ground, flat on her feet, like a graceful cat.

"Mummy told you not to! Mummy said you weren't allowed. Lily!"* the older girl scolded with her hands on her hips.

"But I'm fine," said Lily, still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."* She skipped over to the bush that Severus was hiding behind as he held his breath, careful not to breathe incase she noticed him. Although he was bursting with excitement that he had finally found someone like himself, he still hadn't exactly worked out what to say to her. It would be difficult to make her believe him, not to mention that every time he looked at her emerald green eyes, his stomach did several back-flips. She plucked a tiny flower off of the bush, held it in her hands for a mere second, then opened it again and held it out for her sister to see. Severus peeked slowly around the bush to see what she was doing, and saw that the flower was opening and closing its petals.

"Stop it!" shrieked Petunia.*

"It's not hurting you," said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground.*

"It's not right." Said Petunia.*

Severus stifled a giggle at Lily's remark but felt a twang of hurt at what Petunia had said. She reminded him of his father.

"How do you do it, Lily?" Petunia asked, curiosity and longing in her voice. At this point, Severus could no longer hide his joy and sprang out from behind the bush, startling the older girl, but Lily stood her ground.

"It's obvious, isn't it?"* Severus said.

"What's obvious?" asked Lily.* She sincerely looked confused. He glanced at Petunia, hovering by the swings, and deciding it was best not to tell her, lowered his voice and said to Lily, "I know what you are."*

"What do you mean?"*

"You're…you're a witch," whispered Severus.*

She looked highly offended and scolded, "_That's_ not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"* she said as she marched off, nose high in the air, towards her sister.

"No!"* said Severus. He knew he had blown it, but also knew that he had to tell Lily everything, even if she didn't believe him.

"You _are_ a witch. I've been watching you for a while. There's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard,"* he pleaded with her.

Petunia laughed coldly.

"Wizard!"* she scoffed. "_I_ know who _you_ are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river,"* she told Lily, as she looked at him with disapproval. "Why have you been spying on us?"* she asked him.

"Have- haven't been spying," said Severus*. He shifted his feet uncomfortably, then added, "Wouldn't spy on _you_ anyway, _you're_ a Muggle."

Her face was one of shock and anger as she glared at him. "Lily, come on, we're leaving!"* They strode off. Lily glanced back at Severus, a look of disappointment and curiosity crossing her face. He stayed looking after them as they walked away in silence, feeling slightly disappointed at himself for not getting her to believe him.

He came back day after day, watching from behind the same over-large bush as he always had, until one day she came alone. He was curious to see that her sister did not accompany her side, but his face was soon replaced by shock as she silently called out, "Severus?" A small smile spread across his face when she said his name. He quickly jumped up, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Yes?" he answered her.

"Is it true?" What you said the other day, about me being a witch and all?" she asked nervously.

"Of course it's true!" and knowing that this may be his only chance, he took her tiny, small hand in his rather large and clammy one, and led her into the forest as he said, "C'mon, I'll tell you all about it." They headed off into the forest as Lily gave a shout of glee and a wide smile spread across her face. Severus chuckled to himself as tiny butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the feeling of her hand in his.

When Lily was able to get away from her sister, she would meet up with Severus in a small thicket of woods, where he would tell her all about the Wizarding World. She knew she asked the same questions over and over again, but he didn't seem to mind in the least.

They sat there day after day, dreaming about what it would be like when they went off to school. Lily had many questions for Severus and he answered each one with a proud smile on his face.

"…and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters"* he told her.

"But I _have_ done magic outside school!"*

"We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you're eleven," he nodded importantly, "and they start training you, then you've got to go careful."*

They sat in silence for a while, then Lily leaned in close to him and his heart stuttered at their close proximity.

"It _is_ real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It _is_ real, isn't it?"*

"It's real for us. Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."* he said.

"Really?" whispered Lily.*

"Definitely, "said Severus.*

"And will it really come by owl?"* she whispered, her eyes lighting up.

"Normally," said Severus. "But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."*

"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"* Lily asked with a bit of fear in her eyes,

Severus hesitated before answering.

"No, it doesn't make any difference."*

"Good,"* said Lily, sighing in relief.

"You've got loads of magic. I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"*

They lay out on the leafy ground, looking up at the canopy of leaves that shielded them from the light of the hot sun. Severus lay there, thinking about what it would be like if every day was like this one. Just him and Lily, alone, together. He was shaken out of his fantasy when she spoke.

"How are things at your house?"*

He frowned slightly, a small crease forming between his eyes.

"Fine," he said.*

"They're not arguing anymore?"*

"Oh yes, they're arguing,"* said Severus, his frown deepening. "But it won't be that long and I'll be gone."*

"Doesn't your dad like magic?"* she asked.

"He doesn't like anything much."*

"Severus?"*she asked.

His stomach did several back-flips before he answered.

"Yeah?"*

"Tell me about the dementors again."*

"What do you want to know about them for?"*

"If I use magic outside school-"*

"They wouldn't give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too-"*

_'Pretty,'_ he thought to himself, his face turning red. A small noise startled them both. They turned toward the direction of the noise, and saw that Petunia, who was hiding in a tree, had lost her footing.

"Tuney!"* Lily said, surprise in her voice, she looked over at Severus who had jumped to his feet.

"Who's spying now?"he shouted. "What d'you want?"*

Petunia was shocked. She was struggling for something insulting to say to him.

"What is that you're wearing anyway?"* she snapped. "Your mum's blouse?"*

Severus looked down at his shirt, then back at her with rage in his eyes as she smirked at him. There was a loud _crack- _as a branch over Petunia's head fall and hit her on the shoulder. She staggered backwards, tears forming in her eyes.

"Tuney!"*

Petunia looked at Lily, tears running down her face before she turned and ran out of the thicket. Lily rounded on Severus.

"Did you make that happen?"*

"No."* Severus said, looking scared.

"You did!"* she said, getting up and backing away from him. "You _did_! You hurt her!"*

"No- no I didn't!"

But she wasn't convinced. She turned her back on him and ran off after her sister, leaving him miserable. Even after she left him, he still came back every day. After a long day of waiting and hoping for her to show, he got up and began to walk away, until he heard her yelling, "Severus, Severus!"

He turned around and saw Lily running towards him, waving a piece of parchment in the air. He ran towards her.

"Severus! I got it, I got my letter!" she squealed, hugging him around the waist.

He hugged her back gently as he whispered in her ear, "I told you!"

She pulled away from him slowly, her emerald green eyes staring into his dark onyx ones. They stood there for several seconds until she suddenly, once again, hugged him tight around the waist, leaning her head on his chest. He inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla as his chin rested on the top of her head.

"Oh, Severus. I'm _so_ sorry about the other day. I didn't mean to yell at you. I was angry at her too, I told my parents about it and they yelled at her too. I'm really, _really_ sorry, Sev."

"It's fine Lily. I understand. And if you got your letter that must mean that I got mine!"Severus said.

"Well let's go and get it!"Lily yelled, a smile lighting up her brilliant face.

"Wait, _we_?"Severus exclaimed.

"Yes, we silly. Who else?" Lily giggled.

"I don't think that's such a good idea…"

Severus stood his ground as Lily tried to lead him the way he had been walking before she got there.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, remember what I told you about my parents? Lily, remember how I said they argue a lot?"

"Yes…?" she nodded.

"Well…it's only gotten worse." he said. He shifted his feet uncomfortably before turning his back on her and lifting up his shirt. Lily gasped as she saw all the red marks, scratched, and welts on his back.

"Oh my gosh, Severus!"

"It's really not as bad as it looks. I should probably be getting home anyway, it's late."

"Sev…" Lily said.

"Meet me back here at the same time tomorrow, okay?" he asked.

"Sure. I-I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," she said and she turned and walked away.

Severus sighed and headed home. He didn't want to leave Lily, but he also didn't want to make his father angrier than he was. He walked quickly up his street towards his house and entered as quietly as he could, but not quiet enough. His father caught him, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and dragged him into the basement. He removed his belt and held it in one hand, while his other hand ripped off Severus' shirt. In one swift motion, his hand came down with the belt and there was a loud _crack_- as it came down across the boy's back.

Severus awoke the next morning with even more marks across his back. He winced a little as he got out of bed and put on a shirt that seemed slightly clean. He quietly walked down the stairs and saw that his father was passed out on the couch, one arm hanging over the edge, clutching an empty bottle of whiskey. He snuck quietly over to the door, grabbing his Hogwarts letter off of the coffee table as he went, and bolted as quickly and quietly through the door as he could.

He walked quickly down the street and into the woods. He broke into a run as he reached the cover of the trees, trying to get to the thicket before Lily. It work, he made it there before her. He spread out under the canopy of leaves and hastily opened his Hogwarts letter. He read it through over and over again, his smile grower wider each time. He was finally going to be free. Free of his father, free of his mother, free of arguments, and free of abuse. His head snapped up as he heard the crunching of leaves nearby. He stood up and caught a glimpse of fire before tiny hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who!"Lily whispered in his ear.

"Hmm…" he said as Lily giggled. "Well, it smells like a troll-"

"Hey!"Lily yelled, crossing her arms across her chest, and in turn uncovering Severus' eyes.

"Relax," he said laughing. "I was only kidding. But really, you may want to try taking a shower once in a while," he said laughing, waving his hand in front of his nose.

"Shut up," Lily laughed, playfully smacking him on the back, but he winced at her touch. Concern spread across her face. "Sev, are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Lily. Really!" he said as disbelief flashed in her eyes, "I'm used t it. But don't worry, just one more month and I'll be free of them. Look, I got my letter too!" he said, flashing the piece of parchment in front of Lily's face, hoping she would drop the subject. It worked. She eagerly grabbed the letter, reading it to make sure he wasn't lying.

When she was finished, they both laid out on the crisp leaves and talked about Hogwarts, just as they had for the past couple of weeks. They lay there for hours talking, until Lily checked her watch.

"Well, I should be going." She said nervously.

"So soon? It's not even close to sunset." He pouted.

"I'm sorry, Severus. I meant to tell you earlier, but my family and I are going on vacation for a few weeks, visiting some relatives. I don't know when we'll be back." She said.

"Oh…" he stammered. "Ok." He looked at her with sad eyes, his dark ones gazing into her green ones for one last look before she left.

"I'm sorry, Sev. But I'll see you September 1st on the Hogwarts Express. "she said with a small smile, feeling guilty.

"Yeah, I- I guess I'll see you then." He forced a smile on his face and turned to leave, but Lily grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him into a tight hug, and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

"See you soon, Severus." She said quietly and she disappeared from the thicket, leaving a smiling Severus Snape behind her. He placed his hand to his cheek. He could still feel the warmth of her kiss as he stood there, and that feeling was the only thing that could possibly get him through the last summer month.

"Until September 1st." he said, smiling to himself, and he left the thicket, heading back home to endure his last month alone, only hoping that it would pass quickly.

**A/N: Read and review please! Let me know what you think!**


	3. The Train Ride In

_****_**A/N: I know I haven't updated this in about a year but I was sitting on my bed the other day and this story came back to me like a slap in the face so I decided that I might as well post this chapter. I'm trying not to give up on it but it might happen if I don't get that many reviews or if they're not that good. Let me know what you think please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or places. Words in bold italics are strictly those of J.K. Rowling's from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". Plot however is mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: The Train Ride In**_

September 1st had arrived. Severus hadn't heard from Lily since the day before she had left. He awoke that morning feeling slightly nervous, but also very excited. It would be his first time away from home for a long period of time, but he was going to a castle; a castle where he would learn spells, just like his mum! Severus was also excited that he would be seeing Lily again soon. He hadn't seen her in nearly 3 weeks. Although she was away, he still visited "their spot" in the woods. He would lay there for hours just thinking about the days they spent there and how much more he wanted to tell her. Things at home weren't any better, if anything they had gotten worse. Sometimes, Severus would sit up in his room and wish that someone would come and take him and his mother away from all of the evil. His father began to drink more as September 1st drew closer and lashed out at everyone.

Finally, the day arrived when Severus would be able to leave. He entered King's Cross station with his trunk full of his robes and school books, and his mother by his side. His father had nearly drunk himself to death the night before and Severus was slightly disappointed that he had not succeeded.

"Hurry now, Severus. It's nearly 11." His mother said.

They hurried along, looking for the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10. He had asked his mother one day, while his father was out buying more booze, if there was a mistake written on his ticket. She had simply scoffed at the idea and told him that he was being ridiculous. Before Severus had experienced his abilities, he would've never believed in such a silly thing.

His mother stopped abruptly and looked around quickly, griping Severus's hand.

"I don't see Platform 9 ¾ mother." Severus stated.

"Don't be ridiculous, Severus. Of course it's not going to be in plain sight of muggles. Now, just stick close to me, it's right over there." She said, pointing to the brick column separating two platforms.

"You can't be serious." He said, laughing a bit.

"Of course I'm serious, now hurry along."

She pulled him along beside her quickly, glancing around and when she saw no one looking, pushed Severus through the wall and followed quickly behind him. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. He was almost certain he had blacked out from being pushed into a brick wall, but then he felt the strangest sensation. _Magic!_ It was everywhere! He could feel it. For once in his life, he felt like he belonged.

"Good luck, Severus." His mother said behind him. He had almost forgotten that she was there. He turned quickly and gave her the biggest hug he could manage.

"Goodbye mum. Be safe."

"You too sweetheart," she said, tears rolling softly down her cheeks. "Write me the first chance you have."

"I will mum, every chance I get. Promise." He assured her, letting her go. She bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head before he hurried off to board the train.

"Be safe my son." She silently whispered as Severus turned to give his mother a wave goodbye.

She couldn't help but smile at the silly grin that spread across his face. She hadn't smiled, let alone laughed, in ages, stuck with her horrible excuse for a husband. Seeing her only child so happy for once in his life was the breaking point. She finally knew what she had to do. She waved one last time as the train began to pull away.

Severus hurried quickly through the corridors of the train looking for an empty compartment and hopefully, Lily. He took the first opportunity he got to change into his robes, finally getting rid of that awful muggle shirt he was always wearing. He passed by a rather loud compartment with two rowdy boys and was about to continue his search before he caught a flash of fiery red hair. There was Lily, sitting next to the window, he face pressed up against the glass. He slid open the door and took the seat opposite her. She glanced up at him but turned away quickly, her eyes red and puffy, a sign that said that she had been crying.

**_"I don't want to talk to you," she said in a constricted voice._**

**_"Why not?"_**

**_"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."_**

**_"So what?"_**

**_She threw him a look of deep dislike._**

**_"So she's my sister!"_**

**_"She's only a –" He caught himself quickly; Lily, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him._**

**_"But we're going!" he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"_**

**_She nodding, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled._**

**_"You'd better be in Slytherin," said Snape, encouraged that she had brightened a little._**

**_"Slytherin?"_**

**_"One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Snape until that point, looked around at the word. A boy, slight, black-haired like Snape, but with that indefinable air of having been well-cared for, even adored, that Snape so conspicuously lacked, looked at the two._**

**_"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" the boy asked his friend lounging on the seats opposite him. He had shaggy, brown hair and did not smile._**

**_"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said._**

**_"Blimey," said the boy, named James Potter, "and I thought you seemed all right!"_**

**_The other boy, Sirius Black, grinned._**

**_"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"_**

**_James lifted an invisible sword._**

**_"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."_**

**_Severus made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him._**

**_"Got a problem with that?"_**

**_"No," said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"_**

**_"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interjected Sirius._**

**_James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike._**

**_"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."_**

**_"Oooooo…"_**

**_James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Snape as he passed._**

**_"See ya, Snivellus!" a voice called, as the compartment door slammed._**

Severus and Lily continued down the narrow hallway of the train in silence. Most of the compartments had already been filled, but after walking nearly the entire train, they found one. Severus cautiously followed Lily into the compartment; he had felt the anger rolling off of her in waves since they had left the two boys. She flopped down into a seat by the window and was back on her feet the next second.

"How dare they!" she exclaimed loudly. "Mocking me and calling you names? They have some nerve, those prats. An absolute horror they are-"

"Lily…" Snape said softly.

"And then that one boy had to start spewing off about how he'd be in Gryffindor just like his "precious" father, I mean honestly-"

"Lily…" Snape repeated.

"Don't even get me started on the second boy! Thinking he's all high and noble, "changing traditions" within his family. I bet the rest of them love having him at home," she said sarcastically, "I mean, what's the big deal between Gryffindor and Slytherin? I just don't get it!"

"Lily!" Severus finally barked.

"What?!" she yelled back, her eyes blazing. They immediately became softer as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Finished?" he asked calmly, fixing her with a pointed look.

"I'm sorry, Sev. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's quite alright."

"There's just something about them that irks me to no end!"

"They're a bunch of pompous gits, Lily. Nothing for you to worry about, just let them be. They're not worth your time."

Lily sighed and sat back down across from Severus. She stared pointedly at the floor, her hands folded in her lap. Severus licked his dry lips several times trying to think of a way to break the silence. He hadn't expected her sudden angered outburst, and he certainly hadn't expected how scary she was when she was angry. He finally got his voice back as he looked up at her.

"H-how was your vacation?" he asked quietly.

Lily looked up at him and gave a warm, big smile before launching into her tale of what she had done while she was away. They shared stories of what their last few weeks of the summer had ben like, up until they reached the castle. They stared out of the window, admiring the place they had talked about for almost two months. It was even more beautiful than they had dreamed it would be. They departed the train at Hogsmeade station in an old wizarding village.

"Alright first years, follow me!" and old grumpy man said, carrying a lantern in one hand and a small kitten in the other.

"A bit intimidating with that kitten, isn't he?" Severus whispered to Lily as they followed the old man to several rowboats by the lake.

"Oh, definitely." Lily giggled back.

After carefully climbing into the boats and being magically rowed across the magnificent lake, they finally arrived at their destination. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood vastly before them, in all of its glory.

"Wow!" Severus heard Lily breathe and looked down at her. Her face was a look of disbelief and awe. She looked absolutely stunning in that moment. The beauty of the castle in front of them couldn't even compare to hers.

"Beautiful…" he whispered.

Lily looked up at him and smiled. She took his hand as they walked up the front steps of the castle and into the entrance hall to stand in front of the large double doors, which led, into what they knew to be, the Great Hall. The old doors began to creak open, and Severus gave Lily's hand a tight squeeze.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She replied.

They walked quietly up the center row of the hall taking in all of their surroundings. They reached the front of the hall and before them, stood a ratty, old hat, placed upon a stool. They all watched in awe as the brim of the hat opened wide and began to recite a poem about the four Hogwarts houses and it's sorting. Severus stood there in shock for a long time, but was brought back to reality when he heard Professor McGonagall say, "Evans, Lily!" He looked beside him and saw the slightly terrified look on the young girl's face. He gave her hand a tight squeeze before she walked forward on trembling legs. She sat down upon the old stool and shut her eyes tightly. Barely a second after the hat touched her head, it cried out the last word he wanted to hear at that moment, "Gryffindor!" He let out a small groan and watched as Lily ran off to the cheering table of Gryffindors, but before she sat down, she glanced back at him and gave him a sad smile. He gave her his own small smile in return that let her know it was fine. Lily smiled a little more at this and turned to the side to see the boy, Sirius, from the train, sliding up the bench to make room for her. She sat down forcefully, glared in his direction, folded her arms across her chest, and turned her back on him to watch the rest of the sorting.

Severus watched as the other boy from the train was sorted into Gryffindor. He glanced over at Lily, just in time to see her roll her eyes and pout. He chuckled quietly to himself but he stopped when he heard to old witch call, "Snape, Severus!" He walked up to the stool, his face blank of emotion. The hat was placed upon his head and no longer than three seconds later it cried, "Slytherin!" He took the old, tattered hat off of his head and smiled. He knew he would be placed in Slytherin, but a tiny part of him couldn't help but hope to be in Gryffindor with Lily. He walked blindly in sadness, his feet taking him to the other side of the hall, where the Slytherin sat, cheering. He sat down next to an older student, a prefect's badge, perfectly polished, sat upon the collar of his robes. He was brought out of his thoughts as the boy, Lucius Malfoy, patted him on the back.

"Congratulations," he said, "I hope you enjoy your time here in Slytherin." He smiled down at Severus, but it wasn't exactly friendly. Severus couldn't help but feel that the smile was almost, evil.

The rest of dinner passed in silence for him. His body moved mechanically. When food appeared on the table, his hands reached for it and placed it on his plate, where he continued to place small pieces of it into his mouth, not tasting, but simply chewing and swallowing. It continued like this through dessert and soon, there was no more food left on the table for him to grab. The boy beside him stood up and straightened his robes; a perfectly mastered sneer adorned his face.

"Time for bed," he called in an authoritative tone. "First years follow me, and keep up!"

He turned swiftly on his heel, his robes billowing behind him, as he strode out of the hall. He scrambled up from his seat and followed the boy out as other students crowded around. He followed the head of pale blonde hair. The Slytherins turned left once in the entrance hall and continued down into what he guessed was the dungeons. They finally reached a blank, stone wall and Lucius turned to face the timid first years.

"I am going to say this once, and only once so listen closely. Our common room lies behind this wall but you need a password to enter. This password is for your ears only and not for any students outside of our house. Do I make myself clear?" The first years, along with Severus, nodded their heads. "Good. Should you forget this password, you shall seek out an older student or wait for someone to either enter or exit the common room. Without further ado, our password is _vipera_, and it would do you good to remember it." With that said, the boy turned to the wall and repeated the password and they all watched as a door appeared in the wall. They all passed through into the common room as Lucius explained where their dorms were and how they would receive their class schedules during breakfast. Severus listened with half an ear as he walked up the staircase that led to the boy's dorms. He found his trunk at the foot of one of the beds and opened it to pull out his pajamas. He changed into them and after placing his wans underneath his pillow, he climbed into bed and let out a long breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what Lily was doing. He was absolutely miserable. His best friend, and girl he liked, had been ripped away from him, so soon after getting her back. It was a while before he finally drifted off to sleep, hoping that he shared some classes with Lily and that he'd be able to talk to her again.

* * *

**A/N: So like I said, please review! There might not be any more of this but if you would like me to write more, please let me know in a kind review of PM me. Also, if you're interested, or like Dramione stories, feel free to read and review my other story "Safe & Sound".**

**Much love!**

**~ToriLynn **


End file.
